The Official Forum  

Go Back   The Official Forum > Softball
Register FAQ Community Calendar Today's Posts Search

Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Rate Thread Display Modes
  #1 (permalink)  
Old Fri Oct 06, 2006, 09:01am
Official Forum Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Northeastern NC
Posts: 487
Cleaning the Plate

I was PU on a dry dusty field last night when it started raining. All my plate brush did was smear mud all over the plate. What is the best way to keep it clean in the rain?
__________________
TCBLUE13
NFHS, PONY, Babe Ruth, LL, NSA

Softball in the Bible
"In the big-inning"

Reply With Quote
  #2 (permalink)  
Old Fri Oct 06, 2006, 09:26am
Official Forum Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Almere (NL)
Posts: 370
Nothing! The more you want to clean the plate, the more "red" it will be. When there's a lot gravel on the plate (after a sliding), I'll use a scraper from a backery. Just to dig out the plate. After that i'll let the rain wash it clean...

And shouldn't you stop playing when it's raining?

from a wet Holland (we've had today about 30cm/m2, and it won't be better tomorrow...), see ya
__________________
Sander




Ik ben niet gek, doe alleen alsof! Gaat me goed af toch?
Reply With Quote
  #3 (permalink)  
Old Fri Oct 06, 2006, 09:45am
Official Forum Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: north central Pa
Posts: 2,360
My plate brush has a scraper as one of the sides. If the plate is really bad, I'll use that - but then I don't really want to put it back into the ball bag.

In a game like the one you had, I'll completely cover the plate with some of that dirt, then clear it with my shoes. This will usually work once or twice, then there's no dirt - just mud. Time to look really hard at stopping the game with mud, slick bases, probably a slick outfield...
__________________
Steve M
Reply With Quote
  #4 (permalink)  
Old Fri Oct 06, 2006, 10:15am
Official Forum Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 477
We don't get much rain out here but when it looks like rain or when I'm doing a morning game where the grass is still damp I put a hand towel in one of my ball bags.

I use the towel to dry off the balls. When it rains and the plate gets muddy I first use my brush the scrape the plate then I wipe it clean with my towel. I wipe the brush on the towel, shake the towel hard several times, put it back in one of my ball bags and go on with the game.
Reply With Quote
  #5 (permalink)  
Old Fri Oct 06, 2006, 10:15am
Official Forum Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: York County, Maine
Posts: 72
Windex and paper towels, if real bad, Mr Clean works well
Reply With Quote
  #6 (permalink)  
Old Fri Oct 06, 2006, 03:16pm
Official Forum Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Southern Maryland
Posts: 139
Went to Home Depot and got a few of the Hard Plastic scrapers (Cheap) in their paint Dept. It works great on a wet/muudy plate and I don't care if I lose it or it breaks. They only cost .79 so who cares?
__________________
David
Reply With Quote
  #7 (permalink)  
Old Wed Oct 11, 2006, 09:50am
Official Forum Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Sierra Nevada Mtns
Posts: 3,220
Rainy/wet days have ruined a couple of my brushes that now I just use exclusively for wet days. The plastic scraper is a good idea; I never thought about it before but now next time I think of it I'll grab a couple and throw them in my equipment bag.
__________________
ASA, NCAA, NFHS
Reply With Quote
  #8 (permalink)  
Old Wed Oct 11, 2006, 10:05am
Official Forum Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Northeastern NC
Posts: 487
Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve M
My plate brush has a scraper as one of the sides. If the plate is really bad, I'll use that - but then I don't really want to put it back into the ball bag.

In a game like the one you had, I'll completely cover the plate with some of that dirt, then clear it with my shoes. This will usually work once or twice, then there's no dirt - just mud. Time to look really hard at stopping the game with mud, slick bases, probably a slick outfield...
Wade,
Since I am quoting Steve you will note that what he said was very helpful to me. When I pulled my plate brush out to clean the mud off of it, I discovered that one of the sides was "honed" to a finer edge. It is designed to be a scraper. I had never noticed. Way Cool.
__________________
TCBLUE13
NFHS, PONY, Babe Ruth, LL, NSA

Softball in the Bible
"In the big-inning"

Reply With Quote
  #9 (permalink)  
Old Wed Oct 11, 2006, 12:16pm
Official Forum Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: Twin Cities MN
Posts: 8,154
Or, you could just ask the manager to wash it off... (about 1:20 into this clip...)

Manager goes berserk
__________________
Tom
Reply With Quote
  #10 (permalink)  
Old Wed Oct 11, 2006, 01:17pm
Official Forum Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: USA
Posts: 14,565
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dakota
Or, you could just ask the manager to wash it off... (about 1:20 into this clip...)

Manager goes berserk
This isn't the first time I've seen this clip, but my reaction is still the same.

I would be laughing my *** off at this guy. No way I keep a straight face like these mannequins. Problem is that would probably just irritate the idiot manager, but, so what?

BTW, anyone notice that no one from his team, coaches or players, even attempted to save him or pull him off the field after the ejection?
__________________
The bat issue in softball is as much about liability, insurance and litigation as it is about competition, inflated egos and softball.
Reply With Quote
  #11 (permalink)  
Old Wed Oct 11, 2006, 01:22pm
Official Forum Member
 
Join Date: May 2003
Posts: 962
I would bet that this is not the first time this gem has lost it, maybe the first time in a game where he can get suspended for it....my guess is his team and coaches are letting him go since they are looking forward to the peace that will come with his suspension!! No need to step in and possibly lower this guys time off....it looks like he could use the vacation!!
Reply With Quote
  #12 (permalink)  
Old Thu Oct 12, 2006, 01:33pm
Official Forum Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Back in TX, formerly Seattle area
Posts: 1,279
WHAAAT? Scrapers/squeegees aren't standard equipment in other parts of the country??????
__________________
John
An ucking fidiot
Reply With Quote
  #13 (permalink)  
Old Thu Oct 12, 2006, 02:42pm
Official Forum Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Sherman, TX
Posts: 4,387
Quote:
Originally Posted by bkbjones
WHAAAT? Scrapers/squeegees aren't standard equipment in other parts of the country??????

Now come on. You were in Texas and Arizona. When you were there, how often did you actually see rain when you were umpiring?!?
__________________
Scott


It's a small world, but I wouldn't want to have to paint it.
Reply With Quote
  #14 (permalink)  
Old Fri Oct 13, 2006, 10:13am
Official Forum Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 35
Send a message via Yahoo to Leecedar
Exclamation A carpenter friend of mine...

Quote:
Originally Posted by tcblue13
I was PU on a dry dusty field last night when it started raining. All my plate brush did was smear mud all over the plate. What is the best way to keep it clean in the rain?
came up with something that was soooooooooo simple I couldn't believe nobody ever thought of it before. He mitred the back of my plate brush and sanded it just a little to get rid of the splinters and super-sharp edge. What I ended up with was a combination brush-scraper that works AWESOME! And, when you get the rain down here in FL that's only a short burst, it allows you to have both a scraper and a brush in your bag at the same time without having to have two separate items.

Lee
Reply With Quote
  #15 (permalink)  
Old Fri Oct 13, 2006, 10:46am
Official Forum Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Sherman, TX
Posts: 4,387
Quote:
Originally Posted by Leecedar
came up with something that was soooooooooo simple I couldn't believe nobody ever thought of it before. He mitred the back of my plate brush and sanded it just a little to get rid of the splinters and super-sharp edge. What I ended up with was a combination brush-scraper that works AWESOME! And, when you get the rain down here in FL that's only a short burst, it allows you to have both a scraper and a brush in your bag at the same time without having to have two separate items.

Lee
You know, they sell these!
__________________
Scott


It's a small world, but I wouldn't want to have to paint it.
Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks


Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Cleaning flags Mark Dexter Football 9 Fri Oct 21, 2005 10:19am
Cleaning bases bkbjones Softball 13 Sat Apr 23, 2005 09:51am
Cleaning up Throw In Violations Ref Daddy Basketball 12 Fri Jan 07, 2005 06:57pm
Cleaning up the mechanics RookieDude Basketball 9 Mon Dec 06, 2004 11:28am
Cleaning ref18 Football 9 Mon Aug 30, 2004 05:49pm


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 01:47am.



Search Engine Friendly URLs by vBSEO 3.3.0 RC1